


Nobody said it was easy

by GaneWhoo



Series: Supercat prompts and Co [3]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: A bit of Supercorp, Angst, F/F, Introduction to family and friends, angst without happy ending, it doesn't go well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 15:55:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9827456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaneWhoo/pseuds/GaneWhoo
Summary: She already knows most of Kara’s friends, since they’re gravitating around her like if she was the sun itself and sometimes, sometimes she thinks it’s true.Kara is burning too brightly and she feels like Icarus. She is drawn to the girl of steel like Icarus to the sun and someday, she knows she will fall.She never thought her wings would be set aflame by someone else.[...]The first one she meets is Alex Danvers and it’s not planned or anything.It’s an accident and it’s a disaster.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [catzorel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/catzorel/gifts).



> _Guys, this is pure angst and you should check the tags, there's a little bit of Supercorp towards the end. Be safe, okay ? ♥_

She already knows most of Kara’s friends, since they’re gravitating around her like if she was the sun itself and sometimes, sometimes she thinks it’s true.

Kara is burning too brightly and she feels like Icarus. She is drawn to the girl of steel like Icarus to the sun and someday, she knows she will fall.

She never thought her wings would be set aflame by someone else.

\---

The first one she meets is Alex Danvers and it’s not planned or anything.

It’s an accident and it’s a disaster.

She’s in Kara’s apartment after a little fight about something silly to be mentioned and they’re making out on the couch, it’s hungry, messy and a little bitter too, when Alex barges inside without any warning. She is talking about the takeout she’s just ordered and when her eyes catches the sight of her sister, lipstick smudged all over her face, hair disheveled and Cat Grant sitting on her lap, she drops her purse and gapes, eyes bulging out of her orbits as she stares at them, completely dumbfounded.

Cat winces and pulls away from Kara, who scrambles to her feet and tries to explain the situation in a typical ramble. Alex raises a finger and Kara shuts up, swallowing thickly. Cat doesn’t dare say anything, she just watches as Alex’s features shift from astonishment to something hard and cold. She knows it’s not going to be easy.

Alex opens her mouth but nothing comes out for a few seconds and she seems annoyed. Finally, she just glances at Cat and her eyes are burning with anger when she speaks “You know what, I don’t even want to know. I’m going home, we’ll talk later.”

Kara tries to call her back but Alex glares at her and Cat, who’s the queen of the meaningful glares, feels a chill down her spine at the sight. “I said later.” She repeats and then she’s gone, slamming the door behind her and Kara stares at it with such a pained expression Cat’s heart tug unpleasantly in her chest.

For days after this incident, Kara looks miserable and Cat knows Alex is refusing to talk. She understands the elder Danvers but it still hurt to know she’s responsible for the hurt in Kara’s eyes. Kara says it’s not her fault at all but Cat knows better.

It takes more days for Alex to agree to meet Kara to talk and it takes weeks after that for Alex to accept the invitation to come over for dinner with the Grants. She’s guarded and not entirely comfortable but then she meets Carter and they immediately get along and Cat is both impressed and grateful for the way Alex acts with the young boy.

They’re not friends, rather far from it, and Alex is sometimes snarky, borderline mean but Cat can deal with that if it means she’s not trying to talk Kara out of this relationship.

\---

The second person she meets as Kara’s girlfriend is, strangely enough, Lucy Lane.

It’s not planned either but it goes smoothly enough for everyone to be comfortable. They’re with Carter when they run into the younger Lane at Noonan’s one Saturday morning and it’s a little awkward but then Lucy smiles and doesn’t push and Cat is infinitely grateful for that.

They sit around a table and Kara explains how it started, she also adds that Alex knows but she’s the only one and she shyly asks of Lucy to keep it secret for now. Lucy glances at Cat and then nods. She doesn’t look like Lois at all but sometimes, there’s a familiar flicker in her eyes that makes Cat remembers of the other Lane.

Cat hesitates and then asks about James and Lucy says she won’t say anything because James and her are not a thing anymore. She doesn’t elaborate on it but she doesn’t seem heartbroken and she’s smiling and asking Carter about how it is to live with Kara. Carter jokes about Kara eating too much food and it makes everyone laugh and it’s easy.

\---

James Olsen is not as easy as his ex-fiancée and Cat doesn’t quite understand why it affects her so much.

He catches them kissing rather passionately, one late night.

He’s standing in the middle of her office, staring at her with anger and betrayal in his eyes as Kara comes to her sides. She welcomes the light touch of fingers settling in the small of her back but she doesn’t dare lean on it. James looks disgusted and mad but he doesn’t add anything, leaving the room without looking back.

It’s an accident, he wasn’t supposed to be working so late, he wasn’t even supposed to be in the building but then again, she always underestimates how good he is at his job, how much he loves it.

Which is why, when he handles her his resignation letter at the end of the week, she takes it hard. She doesn’t exactly consider him a friend but he’s been more than just her artistic director and it hurts. She lets him go, though.

The look of pure hurt in Kara’s eyes is back and she can’t stand it, she wonders if the worst is over. Then, Carter says something about Alex’s mother and she realizes it’s not.

It’s far from over.

\---

When Clark Kent raises his voice at her, she knows it’s going to get worse than she first thought it would.

Kara is the one to scream back at him and it’s ugly, it’s resentment and bitter-sweetness and accusations. He’s pushing everything his cousin is saying aside to take it out on her and she stays silent. Cat knows that if she speaks, she’s going to take part in a battle that isn’t hers to fight and she doesn’t want to make Kara feels like she needs protection.

Superman had flown to National City after James’s return to Metropolis. Cat doesn’t know what her former employee said to his best friend but clearly, it didn’t sit well with the superhero because he’s here on her balcony and lecturing her about corrupting his young, sweet and innocent cousin.

Kara is burning with anger and she almost uses heat vision on her cousin when he tells her she’s not thinking clearly, that Cat is just toying with her. After that, Kara tells him to go back to Metropolis and to never, ever come back here.

Cat feels her heart break all over again once he’s gone because the look in Kara’s eyes is too painfully sad and hollow. It’s all because of her and she thinks she should put an end to their relationship before it drives all of Kara’s friends away.

Kara holds her tight that night and she swallows back a sob because now she doesn’t think she’s strong enough to let her go.

\---

Winn, the ones she often calls the Cardigan hobbit, doesn’t react much to the new.

Kara tells him the day James is leaving and he simply shrugs and wish her to be happy. It’s too easy and Cat’s sure there’s a catch.

Sure enough, Winn starts to take his distances. He’s not cold, he’s not mean and he’s still around but it’s different and wounded and Cat knows it won’t be long before him too leaves CatCo.

It takes a grand total of two weeks before he comes to see her with a slightly apprehensive look and she lets him go. He tells her he’s going to work for the DEO and she smiles gratefully because it means he’s still going to work with Kara, in a different capacity.

Kara takes it a little differently when she’s the one to break the new of Winn’s resignation for CatCo. She closes off and Cat doesn’t push because she remembers something Kara said about Winn and her starting working at CatCo around the same time and helping each-other through the years. She knows Kara see Winn’s move like a betrayal and a revenge at once so she lets her deal with it.

Eventually, Kara adapts to the new dynamic.

\---

That is until Cat is invited over for Thanksgiving.

Kara tells her to bring Carter and she sounds so hopeful and happy, Cat doesn’t have the nerves to ruin her mood by refusing. She’s terrified Eliza isn’t going to accept her and she knows, she knows that after James and Winn’s reactions, Kara’s heart is vulnerable.  
Vulnerable enough for her to feel insecure about this relationship and Cat doesn’t know if she can deal with Kara saying it’s over.

She had tasted a life with Kara Danvers as her girlfriend and she’s certain she can’t survive the aftermath of a break-up. The mornings without Kara beside her in their bed. The night when she comes home to a sleepy superhero on the couch, the conversations about life and art and everything and nothing, the domesticity of seeing Kara’s stuff all over her place, the way Carter is acting with Kara as if she’s always been there. She thinks it’s going to kill her if Kara puts an end to it but she can’t say she won’t understand.

The dinner is polite and civilized and Eliza is smitten with Carter, like all the Danvers women are. Cat is uncomfortable and waiting for the other shoe to drop but she tries her best to look unaffected and composed. Kara sees right through her though and she’s grateful for the small touches here and now. A hand on her tight, a kiss across her hair, a stroke against her forearm, gentle and kind and warm.

Then she’s all alone with Eliza and she knows it’s over before the older woman even opens her mouth.

The words are cutting deep in her soul and reflecting all of her insecurities. Eliza is almost gentle but she’s firm and she makes it clear she doesn’t approve at all. She does says that Kara looks happy and it pleases her to see it but she ends the sentence by saying Cat isn’t fair with Kara. She speaks about the age difference mostly, the fact that Cat has a child and Kara is still young and that she shouldn’t have to bear that responsibility.

That’s when Kara barges in the kitchen and comes to stand beside her. Her face is still and neutral and she simply asks for Eliza to go. Cat chokes at the words and she wants to protest that it’s not fair, that Kara shouldn’t have to chose her over her foster mother but Kara doesn’t let her talk.

Kara says, in a voice that is unwavering and so full of certainty that she loves Cat and Carter and that she wants a lifetime with them, she wants them to be her family and that if Eliza isn’t able to deal with it, then she’s not welcomed anymore.

Alex is standing in the doorway behind them and Cat can see the hurt and betrayal and sadness swirl in her eyes and she feels like the world is falling apart around her.

Kara slides an arm around her waist and holds her. Eliza gapes and there are tears in her eyes but she nods and she simply goes away.

Alex looks at Kara in the eyes and there’s understanding in the exchange, before she goes to help her mother with her things.

Later that night, Kara leaves the bed and it wakes her up. She waits a little before following her lover and she hears the sobs before she can put a foot in the living room.

It’s desperate and raw and when she comes to put her arms around Kara to pull her in a tight, tight hug, she sees the pain and the loneliness swirl in those baby blue eyes and she knows.

She knows that every single of Kara’s friends chipped her heart and made her feel like she was loosing everything and everyone all over again. She knows that right now, Kara feels abandoned and betrayed and hurt and it’s like she’s Kara Zor-El, trapped in a pod to witness the destruction of her world in a never ending loop.

She knows that it’s a matter of time before something breaks and Kara regrets everything.

\---/----

It ends up after one too many battles and it’s the end of a war that leaves them broken and miserable and lonely.

It takes months and months for her to learn how to survive without Kara and it’s hard and everything hurts but she finally, finally reaches a precarious balance.

She hates waking up alone in her king-sized bed and she dreads bedtime and it’s sometimes hard to just breathe but she does it nonetheless. Carter’s there, smiling softly and spending all his free time with her and she is grateful for it because she can’t stand to be left alone with her dark thoughts.

She dives in her work because it’s the only thing she has left, aside from Carter.

Kara’d left CatCo the day after their break-up and she’d let her go without even trying to hold her back. She wrote a stunningly appreciative recommendation letter and she let Kara leave without another word and now, CatCo’s building seems empty.  
James Olsen is in Metropolis, Winn is working for the DEO, Kara is rising up to her potential in the competition and the only one remaining is Lucy Lane.

She thinks it won’t last but then Lucy comes to her office and says she doesn’t want to leave. She says she doesn’t want to choose between her career and her friends and Cat let her stay, even if it’s making her feel a little uneasy. They never talk about Kara, only work and it suits them just fine.

Months go by, one by one and it slowly turns into a year, then two, then five and she stops counting.

It’s eight years after their break-up when she runs into Kara again.

It’s an exploit really, because they work in the same field and Kara’s now the new Lois Lane of National City, shining rising stars bringing home all the awards and prices and owning her talent with boldness and confidence. Cat thinks the comparison is true in more way than one and it twists a knife in old wounds that never had a chance to heal.

Kara’s standing in the middle of a little crow and Cat just stares.  
All the memories are swirling in her head as she watches Kara smile and laugh and it’s like looking at the sun for too long, it’s blinding and painful. The girl is breathtakingly beautiful in a deep blue dress that hugs her in all the right place. There’s a lot of visible smooth skin though and that’s enough for Cat’s mouth to go dry as she remembers the feeling of Kara’s muscles under her lips. The reporter looks a little older and wiser but there’s still something naive and optimistic in the way she carries herself.

Cat’s mind goes blank when her eyes meet Kara’s deep baby blue eyes and she doesn’t know what to do. She’s drowning in that shade of blue she never found anywhere else and she’s sinking into it, falling in the emotions that spin in Kara’s eyes.

Then, Carter is standing beside her and she leans into the palm he just put on her back, for support and for comfort. She glances at him and she sees the way he clenches his jaw, she can practically hear him grits his teeth too, as he stares at Kara with such protectiveness in his eyes.

He’s fierce and strong and she loves the young man he became. She loves the confidence and quiet strength that surrounds him now that he seems to finally have found his place in the world. He’s guarded and unwelcoming and she sees the hurt in Kara’s eyes.

She doesn’t know what to do.

Kara decides for them.

She’s bold and fierce too, making her way across the crow to stop in front of them and the smile on her lips is both shy and soft.

“The Grants. It’s been a while. You’re all grown up, Carter, it suits you so well.” Kara looks at the young man before her eyes and Cat can see pride, regrets and tenderness. Carter nods and thanks her without elaborate and Kara understands.

“Hi Miss Grant. Long time no see.” The title is old and yet it’s more intimate than her name and for a second, she almost smiles. Then she simply bows her head slightly and replies in a tone that is just polite enough to be considered civilized.

“Kara. Congratulations on the award tonight, you deserve it.” It’s flat and she wants to say so much more than this polite small talk but it hurts to see the woman she’s still so deeply in love with.  
In the back, she sees Alex talking with a woman who’s holding the elder Danvers by the waist and the smile on both their faces is one of love. Not far away, she sees Lucy, talking rather animatedly with a James Olsen who doesn’t seem so happy to be here. No Winn, no Eliza but she sees Lois Lane in a corner and she guesses the strong silhouette next to her is her husband, the infamous Clark Kent.

“Thank you.” Kara’s voice is leaned with something Cat doesn’t want to identify. “I had no idea you’ll be attending to this event but I’m glad you came.” Kara’s smile is too bright and oh, it cuts her more deeply than anything else and she wonders if she’s ever going to be over that relationship one day.

“There you are, Darling!”

Cat’s heart stops when she sees Lena Luthor comes to a stop beside Kara and she watches the way the CEO slides an arm around the superhero’s waist. The gesture is easy, soft and terribly intimate and the light in Kara’s eyes is all too familiar and oh, she’s never feel so much pain in her life before, not even when they broke up.

“Hi Lena. You probably already know Cat Grant, CEO of CatCo Worldwide Media. Miss Grant, this is Lena Luthor, CEO of L-Corp and also my fiancée.” She looks a little sheepish when she says the last word but she’s happy and it shows.

Carter growls but she raised him well and he extends a hand to shake Lena’s. To her defense, the brunette doesn’t seem entirely comfortable with the whole exchange and Cat wonders how much she knows about their shared past.

She forces a smile on her lips and straightens her posture before shaking Lena’s hand as well.

“Nice to finally meet you in person and congratulations for the engagement. I didn’t know you were such a rebel Kara. After all, I can’t imagine your cousin being too happy about that relationship either …” She doesn’t even try to hide the meaning of her words and Kara’s smile drops a little. It doesn’t quite reach her eyes now and there’s something dark and haunted there, in that unique shade of blue.

“He’s not but I learned since … last time.” The words are so heavy it takes her breath away. Still, Cat manages a curt nod and then she excuses herself to go talk to someone else, trying to stay collected and composed because the night is far from over and this is one she can’t leave early like she usually does.

She hears Carter in her back as she walks away “You know, Kara. I could say I wish you all the happiness in the world but my mother taught me not to lie. Lena. Kara. Have a nice evening.”

And despite everything she’s feeling, the hurt, the pain, the betrayal and the infinite sadness, she smiles and she thinks that, as long as she has Carter, she’ll be just _fine_.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> So this is a prompt in 2 parts, asked by @catzorel on Tumblr. She wanted angst without happy ending and well. There it is.  
> I'm deeply sorry for breaking your heart guys, it broke mine just to write the end of it.
> 
> You are allowed to yell at me in the comments or on Tumblr, I'm **lost-your-memory**
> 
> SORRY ♥


End file.
